Data processing devices, such as network switches, routers, and computer servers that are used to provide services to an entity are often located in close proximity to one another to facilitate interconnections, to secure the devices, for cooling purposes, and the like. Such devices are frequently mounted in a stacked configuration in a device rack. Commercial data processing devices often adhere to certain uniform size standards, such as the Electronic Industries Alliance (EIA) 310 (EIA-310) size standards, to facilitate the mounting of different devices from different manufacturers in the same rack.
Data processing devices that adhere to the EIA-310 size standards include brackets or planar extensions that extend the width of the front panel of the device several inches beyond the width of the housing of the device. The extensions contain one or more openings positioned such that the openings in the extensions can be aligned with openings in vertical support columns of the device rack. Fasteners, such as bolts or screws, can then be passed through the openings in the extensions and into the openings in the vertical support columns to fix or otherwise mount the device with respect to the device rack.
There are several problems with conventional device racks. One problem is that each device is essentially housed in the same mounting plane. This is because the faces of the two vertical support columns of the device rack to which the devices are mounted are in a single plane. Because data processing equipment varies greatly in weight as well as in depth, this may result in an unbalanced device rack, which, in a mobile environment, or an environment exposed to substantial vibrations, such as might be found in military applications, may be problematic. Mounting each device in the same mounting plane may also result in a substantial amount of unused space in the device rack since each device necessarily takes up the complete horizontal slot in which the device is housed, irrespective of the depth of the device.